Letter-package tie



PATENTBD JAN. 19, 1904.

0. s. KELLUM. LETTER PACKAGE TIE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.A24, 1903.

.N0 MODEL.

l Patented January 19, 1904..

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE STEWAR'I` KELLUM, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGrNORV OF ONE-HALF TOJ AMES ALBERT HAYES, OF KOKOMO, INDIANA.

LETTER-PACKAGE TIE.,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,935, dated January `19, 1,904..

Application i'ilecl March 24, 1903. Serial No. 149,257. v(No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE STEWART KEL` LUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Package Ties, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates rto improvements in ties for securing letters in packages such as are made up by postal clerks in the mail-service; and the object is to provide a rigid'and substantial form or'back having-a cord fixed thereto, by means'of which the letters, .postcards, and such other matter as may be destined for the same terminal or way point may be tied together and secured to said rigid back piece.. The object of the invention is toprovide an eiiicient and quickly-manipulated fastening for the free end of the cord-after the tie is made and to provide means for removably securing the cord to the back piece.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustrated in .the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a package secured Y with my improved tie; Fig. 2, a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detail in plan view of the center of the back piece with the locking-plate removed; Fig. 4, a section of the back piece on the line 4 4 of Fig. l; Fig. 5, a detail in partial section of the end loop of the tie-cord, showing the manner of its construction; Fig. 6, a detail in plan view showing a modified attachment of the permanently-se-` cured end of the tie-cord, and Fig. 7 a detail showing a second modified cord-fastening.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

8 is the back plate of any suitable dimensions, generally approximating in size and shape the size and shape ofthe average envelop or post-card. It may be made out of any suitable material which willcombine the necessary rigidity and strength with lightness-such, for example, as brass, iron, steel, aluminium, and the like in sheet form. The

mail-matter for a given destination will be stacked upon this plate and secured to it by means of a cord y Where very thin sheet metal is used for the body 8, it will be preferable to. stiften it by forming the marginal bead -1O by bending the edge in the manner shown in Fig. 4. This also insures a smooth finish, which prevents injury to the mail-matter by contact with the edge, which would result were the edges left thin, and thereforecomparatively sharp. Where a` body of aluminium is used, the permissible thickness of so light a metal will bead formation.

l A depression 11 is formed'at the middle of 4allow the edges to befrounded without the To the outer en'd of the sertion being riveted to prevent the removal of the disk. The depth of the depression l1 is such as to let the outer ,face of the disk in approximately ush with the outer surface of the back 8. The cord 9 has the end loop 14, which is passed around the post 12 between the cap 13 and the backv 8, thereby forming an attachment which allows the cord to be shifted around the post, so as to start at right angles in any direction from it. Radiating from this central depression and at right angles to each other are four corrugations 15, which form longitudinal and lateral channels across the body 8 to receive the cord 9 when the latter is wrapped around a package of letters in the manner shown in Figs. l and 2. The channels depress the cord below the outer surface of the body 8, so as not to engage any of the parts of adjacent packagesA A when numbers of them are thrown together in the promiscuous and hurried manner of the mailservice.

The loose end of the cord 9 is secured by slipping it under the cap 13 either with or without giving it a turn or more around the post 12, and to make the engagement of the cord more positive between the cap and the body 8 I provide the radial depressed corrugations 16 in the cap and the raised corrugations 17 at the bottom of the depression 11 under the cap 13. This formation is shown in Fig. 2. These radial corrugations engage the cord, so as to prevent its accidental release, but at the same time permitting the easy introduction and removal of the cord when taken hold of by the operator and moved laterally of the cap With aswinging or rotary movement of the hand holding the cord. The area of the depression 11 will be such as to allow of the free introduction and removal of the cord.

A slot 18 'will preferably be made in one end of the body 8 to exhibit the label which indicates the route or destination of the package.

The loop at the inner end of the cord 9 will preferably be held by means of a Y-shaped tubular holder, one of the tubular arms 19 of which will contract outwardly in diameter to receive the end of the cord, which will be prevented from complete movement through the arm by the wedge 2O and barbs 21. rI`he body of the cord will then be threaded through the remaining portion 22 of the holder in the nanner shown in Figs. 3 and 5 to form the oop.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the cord is threaded through a transverse perforation in the post 12 and held by a knot in the end of the cord.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the end of the cord will be held by an outwardly-tapering tube 23, which has an eye Q4 at its outer end to engage the post 12b.

My invention is capable of various modifications without departing from its spirit, and

I therefore do not limit myself to the forms shown.

What I desire to claim is- 1. In a device for the purpose specified, a post, a plate on which the post is mounted, having corrugations radially of the post, a

vflexible tie secured at one end to the post, and

means for removably securing the opposite end of said tie after the tie has been Wrapped around the articles to be bound, said means comprising a radially-corrugated disk mounted on the said post.

2. In a device for the purpose specified, a plate having a middle depression, a post secured to the plate in said depression, a cap mounted on the post, and a HeXible tie having one end Ifastened to the post and its opposite end detachably secured by being caught between the cap and plate after being wound around the articles to be bound.

3. In a device for binding packages of mailmatter, a plate having longitudinal and transverse depressions, alocking-plate mounted below the outer face of the plate, a flexible tie secured to the plate at one end and adapted to lie in said depressions when Wrapped around the package and to be removably secured at its opposite end by introduction between the locking-plate and the first plate.

4. In aletter-tie, a plate having a middle depression and centrally-located longitudinal and transverse channels leading across the plate from said depression, a radially-corrugated disk mounted in said depression and a tie the wrappings of which are adapted to be laid in said channels and the loose end of the tie being adapted to be temporarily fastened between the plate and the corrugated disk.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 13th day of March, A. D. 1903.

CLAUDE STEWART KELLUM. [1.. s]

Witnesses:

WILLIAM S. BoNNER, JOSEPH A. MINTURN. 

